Different Problems
Anxiety
Anxiety shows itself in different ways and people may struggle from:
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Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - worrying that something bad will happen, feeling on edge, poor concentration, physical symptoms of anxiety such as increased heart rate, dry mouth
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Social Anxiety - strong feelings of anxiety about social situations and other situations like giving speeches, presentations, meetings etc
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Health Anxiety - persistent worry about health and worrying that physical symptoms are something very serious
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Specific Phobia - for example needles, spiders, heights, water etc
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Perfectionism - wanting everything to be perfect and getting anxious when it isn't
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Panic - panic attacks with strong physical symptoms (increased heart rate, shortness of breath, dizziness etc)
OCD
OCD presents itself in different ways:
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Checking - repeatedly checking things such as light switches, plug sockets, the oven, windows, doors etc through fear of something bad happening
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Contamination - fear of things being contaminated with germs resulting in repetitive cleaning and washing
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Mental contamination - fearing things such as certain words or people as they may cause harm. This can result in neutralising behaviours such as repeating 'safe' numbers or phrases
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Hoarding - keeping items and experiencing distress at the idea of getting rid of them
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Ruminations - fixation on certain numbers, diseases, fear etc that cause distress
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Intrusive Thoughts - unwelcome thoughts often about causing harm. The thoughts lead to great distress.
Habit Disorders
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Skin picking
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Hair pulling
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Nail biting
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Overeating
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Any other repetitive behaviour that can occur without the person realising
Depression/Low Mood
Depression and low mood can show itself as:
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Strong feelings of unhappiness
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Feeling that things won't get better
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Not feeling good about yourself
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Feeling irritable
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Lack of motivation
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Lack of interest
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Feeling worried, guilty or other emotions
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Having thoughts about wanting to harm yourself
Low Self-Esteem
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Critical view of self leading to distress and lowered mood
Grief/Bereavement
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Distress caused by the loss of a loved one
If you have been feeling any of these things, or are concerned you might be experiencing any of these, or any other difficulties, CBT may be able to help. CBT will look at the way you think about things and what behaviours you are doing and help you improve these areas to reduce your distressing symptoms. CBT can also help you look at why you became vulnerable to the problem in the first place to help you prevent it happening again.